>> tonight, c-span's issue spotlight looks at police and race relations. we show president obama at the memorial service for five police officers shot and killed in dallas. president obama: when the bullets started flying, the men and women of the dallas police -- they did not flinch, and they recklessly.t >> south carolina republican senator tim scott giving a speech on the floor about his own interactions with police. scott: the vast majority of the time, i was pulled over for nothing more than driving a new car in the wrong neighborhood or some other reason just as trivial. >> our program also includes one family's story about an encounter with police in washington, d.c., followed by a panel with the city police

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chief. >> most people get defensive if they feel like you are being ive.ns ifng respectful and request it is not a crisis or a dangerous situation -- requests versus demands, those things change the dynamic a little bit. >> tonight at 8:00 eastern on c-span and www.c-span.org. >> our road to the white house coverage continues with the green party national political convention in houston. earlier today, the green party chose jill stein as their ajamu btial nominee and araka as their vice presidential nominee. also available on the c-span radio app and www.c-span.org.

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president obama and first lady michelle obama welcomed singapore prime minister lee and his wife this week. it began with a ceremony on the south lawn and was set to conclude with an evening state dinner in the east room. let's watch. ♪ >> ladies and gentlemen, the president of the united states and mrs. michelle obama.

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plays "hail to the chief"] ♪

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>> present arms! ♪

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♪

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♪

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[cheering]

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[cheering] ♪

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[laughter]

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[cheering]

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[cheering] >> back to work. [laughter]

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♪

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president obama: good morning, everybody.

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>> good morning. president obama: today, we welcome our friends from singapore. [applause] president obama: we have some singapore weather. you can appreciate that. singapore is one nation with four official languages. let me just say, good morning. [speaking foreign languages] president obama: on behalf of of myself, -- michelle and on behalf of the american people, i am honored to welcome prime minister lee and mrs. lee to the united states. [applause] president obama: this marks the first official state visit by a singaporean prime minister in over 30 years and celebrates the 50th anniversary of diplomatic relations between our two

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nations. it is a reflection of my friendship and partnership with prime minister lee in the past eight years. it's an opportunity to repay the hospitality that the prime minister and the people of singapore showed me when i visited during my first year in office. we were there for the apex summit with the tradition of dressing of shirts that are somewhat colorful, a tradition we will reserve only for those summits and are not duplicating today. a half-century ago, when singapore was an island of rural villages and crowded tenements, few would have imagined a day like today. singaporeans pride themselves as being the little red dot on many maps with a big impact on the world. in less than a generation, under the vision and stewardship of prime minister lee kuan yew,

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singaporeans transformed their nation from third world to first. they did this with almost no natural resources except one -- the people of singapore and their commitment to education, to progress, and innovation. our singaporean friends say a long road reveals the strength of your horse. a long time reveals the heart of your friends. i first saw the heart of the people singapore as a young boy living in southeast asia. we see it in now in the proud singapore americans who join us here today, including a lot of young uncles and aunties. we see it in the singaporean officers who attend military academies, more than the rest of asia combined. we see our friendship and collaboration between innovators

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and entrepreneurs from silicon valley through singapore's block 71. in fact, i understand that the prime minister himself recently wrote a program to solve sudoku puzzles, which michelle will want. then the foreign minister stepped in and translated that program into javascript. i have to start asking john kerry to do that. today, our friendship and shared interests bring us together in common pursuit of a common vision, a peaceful and prosperous asia-pacific and a more secure world. as the united states has rebalanced our foreign policy to the asia-pacific, singapore and prime minister lee in particular have been solid rock partners. singapore is an anchor of our presence in the region. we stand together for a regional order where every nation plays

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and trades by the same rules and we stand together to meet the threats of the 21st century from terrorism to the spread of disease to climate change. in this work, we draw strength from our people, two societies built on multiculturalism and on merit. in the united states, we call ourselves a melting pot of different races, religions, and creeds. in singapore, it is different parts united in a harmonius whole. who are bound by the believe that no matter who you are, if you work hard and play by the rules, you can make it. what lee kuan yew once said of his country could be said of us -- both our populations are triers. we are prepared to try anything to improve ourselves. we have only the future to go in quest of. prime minister lee, mrs. lee, with our eyes focused on the future and united in our quest for the progress and security of

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our two peoples, we welcome you to the united states of america. thank you. [applause] prime minister lee: president barack obama and mrs. michelle obama, distinguished guests, ladies and gentlemen, and americans and singaporeans who are here today, thank you very much for this kind invitation. i know it is a busy year. i watched you on television last week and michelle, too. it is an honor to be received with such a warm welcome as we celebrate 50 years of our diplomatic relations. the first official visit by a singapore prime minister to the united states was in 1967. president lyndon johnson received lee kuan yew, our founding prime minister. singapore was newly independent. we were struggling to build a modern economy with no means to defend ourselves in a turbulent

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southeast asia. but mr. lee did not seek military or economic aid. at the time, america was divided over the vietnam war. he came to take the measure of america's mood and intentions. he explained to his american friends why it should matter to -- why asia mattered to america and why the united states' active engagement was important to millions of people living in southeast asia. america's presence helped to contain the spread of communism and gave non-communist countries security, time, and space to consolidate and prosper. almost 50 years later, the world has completely changed. the cold war is long over.

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the threat of communism has disappeared. asia is at peace, though tensions are not entirely absent. southeast asia has prospered with countries cooperating peacefully as members of asean. america's endurance, policies, and actions, have contributed greatly to this current peace and prosperity. keeping your market open to trade, deepening your partnership with asean, and cooperating with countries in the region, you have helped create the basis for peaceful, rules-based regional and international order. president obama, the u.s. rebalanced to asia, an important affirmation of a long-standing policy in the united states, has been warmly welcomed by all asean countries.

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your efforts to further build a constructive relationship with china will set a backdrop for the region and beyond. you have personally pushed for the transpacific partnership, together with chile and new zealand, into what will be a major trading group linking both sides of the pacific. i know that america has many preoccupations both at home and abroad. some americans are anxious and frustrated with economic uncertainty and the uneven results of globalization, trade, and foreign engagement. but the u.s. has many investors and friends in the region. these strengthen the united states. singapore fervently hopes the u.s. will stay engaged and maintain its indispensable role in the asia-pacific. in particular, we hope, and i'm

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sure the president shares this hope, that congress will ratify the tpp soon. not only will the tpp benefit american workers and businesses, it will send a clear and vital signal that america will continue to lead in the asia-pacific and continue to enhance partnerships that link our countries together. singapore's own ties with the united states have remained steadfast through nine u.s. presidencies, five republican and four democratic. and three singapore prime minister's. we will maintain these bipartisan links with whatever party wins in november. we will continue to build and deepen our economic and security relationships. we are partners in tackling the scourge of isis and other forms of violent extremism. our armed forces take part in

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exercises together and interact regularly. on this visit, president obama and i will discuss expanding already extensive cooperations to new areas, including private -- cyber security and smart cities. our ties reach beyond government offices and corporate boardrooms to the hearts and minds of our people. thousands of singapore students and people study and work in america. thousands of u.s. companies operate out of singapore. the largest american curriculum school outside of the u.s. and the world is in singapore. and is a singapore american school. [cheering] prime minister lee: there are some alumni here, obviously. in my many visits to america, i meet singaporeans living in different states, contributing

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in their own way to their host country and respective communities. i meet americans who have been the singapore and tell me about singaporean friends and their favorite food. i am very grateful for this opportunity to renew our partnership on this 50th anniversary milestone. i look forward to having many more occasions and reasons to celebrate this special relationship together. thank you, president obama. [applause] president obama: thank you very much. thank you.

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♪

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[applause] >> later, the prime minister of singapore and his wife returned to the white house for the official state dinner.

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rees and ms. keri russell.

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the honorable kirk wagner, mrs.can ambassador, and wagger. the honorable charles rivkin and miss susan tolson. mr. jokey on he and mrs. sarah key on he.

the honorable bill nelson and mrs. grace nelson. >> as a matter of fact, someone called today saying they do not have to reconvene the senate. they have nine more pro forma sessions. the senate rules, by unanimous consent, they can bring up the sed bill,he senate-pas passed it by unanimous consent and send it to the house and put the pressure on the house to act. if they do not understand that this is now a crisis with what

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has just happened in miami, then they have got, really, they are putting their heads in the sand. i have not had a response today. realistically, no. wait until a mosquito bites one of the people who has traveled to kentucky. then he gets a transmitted case in kentucky. then we will get action. >> mr. douglas olberhelman and mrs. diane olberhelman.

i have been to singapore. >> is this your first state dinner, then? >> no. i have been to probably five state dinners. thank you. >> the honorable jacob lew and ms. shirley gathers. >> the honorable dennis heck and mrs. paula heck.

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>> mrs. rose gottemoeller and mr. raymond arnaudo. >> ms. lynn sweet and ms. mary shearer. >> is this your first state dinner? >> yes. usually, i am on the other side of the rope. good to see you. >> mr. jeff zeleny and mr. james

>> the honorable edward markey and rear admiral susan j. blumenthal. president obama: now, we all know how seriously singaporeans

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take their food. in singapore, even the street stars, earn michelin which creates some pressure this evening. we have a lot to live up to. we were tempted to offer each of you a singapore sling or some chili crab. however, for those of you who know it's unmistakable scent, which never seems to go away, you will understand why we are not serving a food known as gory on here at the white house. we're celebrating 50 years of diplomatic relations between our two nations, yet, even as we mark this anniversary of our formal ties, we honor bonds that 100 40 back at least years wind singapore was still a colony and the united states was not far from being one ourselves.

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joseph balla steer's name lives on in one of singapore's neighborhoods. his wife's legacy lives on in a beautiful church bell that once signaled the evening curfew and which now rest in singapore's national museum. the foundry ofn maria's father, paul revere. you may have heard of him. it's a reminder that as we pursue a more peaceful and prosperous order in the asia-pacific, our prosperity is rooted in more than strategic interests. we are bound together by history, by family. the dedication of men and women in uniform flying f-15's together over idaho with the excitement of our students and entrepreneurs who the ocean to learn and work with each other. of at is the leadership son of singapore who is respected around the world and a trusted partner to the united states. prime minister lee, when you were sworn in again last year, you spoke of a shared purpose

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that animates the people of singapore, each of us giving our best, united by our shared ideals, our faith in this nation, and our belief that here something special together. what is true of singapore is true of the relationship the our two countries, so as singapore prepares to celebrate its national day and 50 years into a shared journey with the united states, i propose a toast. thank you, sir. leerime minister and mrs. and to the friendship and partnership between our people. let's continue to build something special together. onward, singapore. onward, america. cheers. prime minister lee.

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prime minister lee: mr. president, mrs. obama, distinguished guests, ladies and gentlemen, i would like to thank president obama for his very kind words. i am delighted to be here and we are touched by your warm welcome and gracious hospitality. we especially appreciate mrs. obama's personal efforts to make our visit a successful one, and for personally overseeing the splendid arrangements for the state dinner. mr. president, when you addressed the u.n. in 2014 you said that when nations find common ground not simply based on power but on principle, then we can make enormous progress. i'm glad to say that tonight on

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the 50th anniversary of our diplomatic relations, our two countries share much common ground and have made great progress together based on shared and symbols, convergent interests, and mutual respect. i remember my first meeting with you at the senate. it was may 2007. you were in the midst of a hard-fought presidential campaign and not yet the front runner for the democratic nomination. [laughter] i was struck by your focus, your informed interest in asia, and your desire to cement america's role in it. your years growing up in indonesia give you direct experience of southeast asia's cultures and challenges. as president, your personal leadership and decision to rebalance to asia is one that renewed old friends and

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strengthened new partnerships, including singapore. over half a century working together, singaporeians and americans have made many close and personal friendships. i'm happy to see many of singapore's old friends tonight such as ambassador steve green who you may not know plating -- played a crucial role -- up a midnight golf game between bill clinton and our prime minister on a rainy night in brunei during an aipac meeting. which led to the u.s.-singapore free trade agreement. [laughter] [applause] which shows what can be done even during lame-duck periods. [laughter] singapore admires americans dynamism and capacity for self renewal.

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these qualities attract the best and brightest from around the world. thousands from singapore study in the u.s., attracted not just by the education but also the unique dynamism of your campuses and the east coast of your -- the ethos of your society. this is something singapore hopes to emulate. as we seek to tap into this spirit of innovation and entrepreneurship. the national university of singapore has overseas colleges in singapore -- in silicon valley and the ark so that our students can work with high-tech startups. america excels not just through sheer individual talent but by working together with others. at this year's international mathematics olympiad, the u.s. team came in top, beating

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singapore. and you did so in a remarkable, open and collaborative manner. you invited students from other competing countries to the u.s. to train with you, including two singaporeians who benefited from the exposure. it is what globalization means. you compete that you also cooperate and learn from one another. in sport, some of singapore's olympic hopefuls have come to train with america's best athlete. one of our swimmers is a member of the university of texas swim team and was a 2016 ncaa champion in the 100 meter and 200 meter butterfly. we hope you will do well in rio. our armed forces personnel have taken part in international operations in afghanistan and the middle east and train alongside each other on joint exercises.

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i myself as a soldier attending u.s. courses, have personally experienced the dedication, the competence, and the warmth of our hosts. i made good friends and we still keep in touch after many decades, and they include my military sponsors at the command at fort leavenworth in kansas nearly 40 years ago. they are here tonight. [applause] prime minister lee: america is a great nation, not just because of your power and wealth but because of your high ideals, openness, and generosity of spirit. you seek to build a world where countries can prosper together. you make common cause of others to fight the problems which plague mankind be it extremist terrorism, ebola, or climate

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change. that is why 70 years after the second world war america is still a welcome power in asia. we hope these strengths and qualities will be emulated by others, and will enable you to be able to engage in our allegiance for many of -- for many more years. tomorrow is the 50th anniversary of our relations. singapore has named an orchid hybrid in honor of president obama and mrs. obama, and this is a hybrid of breeds native to singapore and hawaii, where the president was born, most of us believe. [laughter] prime minister lee: we think it is a fitting tribute to america for this specific president and -- to america's first pacific

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president and a beautiful symbol of the flourishing ties between our countries. ladies and gentlemen, please join me in a toast to the health and success of the president of the united states. to the president. thank you very much. [applause] issueight, c-span's spotlight looks at police and race relations. we will show president obama at the memorial service for five police officers shot and killed in dallas. president obama: when the bullets started flying, the men and women of the dallas police -- they did not flinch and they did not react recklessly.

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>> and south carolina republican senator tim scott giving a speech about his own interactions with police. senator scott: the vast majority of the time, i was pulled over for nothing more than driving a new car in the wrong neighborhood or something else just as trivial. our program includes one family's story about an encounter with police in washington, d.c., followed by a talk with the police chief. >> most people get defensive if they feel like you are being offensive. being respectful and encounters, and request -- if it is not a dangerous situation, requests versus demands, those things change dynamics and little bit. >> tonight at 8:00 eastern on c-span and www.c-span.org. >> on "newsmakers," green party presidential nominee jill stein

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talks about the 2016 presidential race. she officially received nomination at the green party convention held in houston. "newsmakers" next c-span's issue spotlight looks at police and race relations. after that former c.i.a. rector leon haden and leon panetta take a look at classified information and freedom of the press. up next, c-span's issue spotlight on police and race relations. some headlines from we cent weeks in the "new york times," obama faces growing expectations on race and policing. in the hill, obama calls for continued talks about race. reluctantly obama leads u.s. into debate on race policing.

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why reluctantly? >> well, the president has really found himself caught in the middle on this issue struggling to find what to say to country. but law enforcement want to see him as a leader and authoritative figure speaking out vehemently against the violence against police. and you have minority leaders who say the first black president should be taking a leading voice calling out bias at police departments and trying to put an end to the death of a lot of black men that we've seen in recent weeks. the president has talked in the past especially after the verdict that did not convict george zimmerman after the trayvon martin shooting that he doesn't feel that it's necessarily productive for him to be leading a national conversation on race. it hasn't worked that well in the past when politicians have tried to do that but

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unfortunately, he's found himself in a situation where there's nothing he can do because the country is not really calling for that kind of a conversation right now. >> how much time has the president spent time focused on police and race issues? >> it's taken up quite a bit of his time. the president cut short a trip to europe after the shooting of five police officers in dallas. he rushed home a few days later. he was in dallas speaking at memorial alongside president george w. bush. he's been meeting with activists with law enforcement officers, with civil rights advocates and others to try to figure out what the country can do to try to put an end to the kind of violence that we've seen recently it. >> president obama's task force came out with recommendations last year. and as you said he's met with police, activityists and police cal leaders. what came out of that meeting with possible solutions? >> nothing came out than what's

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different than what the president has advocated before. the president is basically saying these are the stepses that we need to take. but all of those steps are one that law enforcement communities have been taking and they don't necessarily seem to be working. but some of those are needing more data to be made public about interactions between officers and communities particularly controversial interactions better training with how police officers can deescalate a situation as opposed to allowing them to turn into something violent. those kinds of suggestions. >> president obama spoke at the memorial for five police officers shot and killed in dallas. this part of the memorial starts with dallas police chief david brown and then we'll hear from the president.

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[applause] >> thank you. thank you. thank you. thank you. thank you. thank you so much. thank you so much. when i was a teenager and started liking girls -- [laughter] i could never find the right words to express myself. and after a couple of words they would just walk away leaving me. figuring out what i need to do to get a date.

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nd so being a music fan of the 1970's rhythm and blues love songs, i put together a strategy -- ecite the lyrics [laughter] to get a date. so for girls i liked i would ll out some al green or some teddy pendegrass or some icely and ers -- iseley brothers i would recite the lyrics to their love songs. but for people i loved -- if i fell in love with a girl, i had to dig down deep and get some stevie wonder. to fullry express the love i had for them, for the girl.

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so today i'm going to pull out some stevie wonder for these families. [applause] so families close your eyes and just imagine me back in 1974 with an afro and some bell bottoms and wide collar. we all know sometimes life's hate and troubles can make you wish you were born in another time and place. but you can bet your lifetime double that e as god knew exactly where he wanted you to be placed. so make sure when you say you're not in it but not of it, you're

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ot hoping to make this earth sometimes called hell. change your words into truth and then change that truth into love and maybe your children's grandchildren and their great, great grandchildren will tell until ll be loving you the rainbow burns the stars out of the sky. i'll be loving you until the ocean covers every mountain high . i'll be loving you until the dolphin flies and the parrotts live at the sea. i'll be loving you until we dream of life and life becomes a dream. i'll be loving you until the day is night and night becomes the day i be loving to you until the trees and seas up, up and far

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away i'll be loving you. til the day that eight times eight times eight times eight times eight times eight is four i'll be loving you. until the days the earth start turning right to left i'll be loving you. until the earth just for the sun denies itself i'll be loving you. until mother nature says her work is through, i'll be loving you. you are me y that and i am you. now ain't that loving you? [applause] until the rainbow burns, the star out of the sky. ain't that loving you? until the ocean covers every

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mountain high and i've got to say always i'll be loving you always. there's no greater love than this, that these five men gave for all of us. it is my honor to introduce to you the president of the united states of america, president barack obama. thank you. cheers and applause] president obama: thank you.

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thank you. thank you very much. resident and mrs. bush, my iend, the vice president and ings, chiefmayor rawl stiller, clergy, members of , i'm so chief brown glad that i met michelle first because she loves stevie wonder. [laughter] [applause]

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but most of all, the families colleagues and fellow officers. scripture tells us that in our becausegs there's glory we know that suffering produces perseverance. perseverance, character. and character, hope. sometimes the truths of these .ords are hard to see right now those words test us.

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because the people of dallas, the people across the country are suffering. we're here to honor the memory and mourn the loss of five fellow americans, to grieve with their loved ones, to support this community, to pray for the wounded and to try and find some meaning amidst our sorrow. for the men and women who protect and serve the people of my thursday began like any other day, like most americans each day, you get up.

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probably have too quick a breakfast, kiss your family goodbye. then you head to work. but your work and the work of police officers across the ountry is like no other. for the moment you put on that uniform, you have answered a even in at any moment the briefest interaction, they .ut your life in harm's way he answered that call. so did his wife katrina. not only because she was his spouse of a police officer but because she's a detective on the force.

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they have two kids. and lauren took them fishing. used to proudly go to their school in uniform. and the night before he died, he bought dinner for a homeless man . and the next night katrina had to tell their children that their dad was gone. they don't get it yet, their grandma said. they don't know what to do quite yet. michael krohl answered that call. his mother said he knew the dangers of his job but he never shied away from his duty. he came 1,000 miles from his home state of michigan being a cop in dallas telling his

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family, this is something i wanted to do. last year he brought his girlfriend back to detroit for thanksgiving. that was the last time he'd see is family. michael smith answered that call in the army and almost 30 years working for the dallas police association which gave him the cop riately named tops award, a man of deep faith. when he was off-duty he could be found at church or playing softball with his two girls. today, his girls have lost their dad for god has called michael ome. patrick zamarripa, answered that

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call. navy er altar boy, in the and dreamed of being a cop. he liked to post videos of him and his kids on social media. while he went to work his partner christie posted a picture of him and his daughter. tagged her partner so she could ee it while on duty. brett thompson answered that call. he served his country as a marine. and years later as a contractor, he spent time in some of the most dangerous times of iraq and afghanistan and then a few years ago he settled down here in dallas for a new life of service s a transit cop. and just a few weeks ago he

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married a fellow officer. their whole life waiting before them. like police officers across the country these men and their families shared a commitment to something larger than themselves . they weren't looking for their names to be up in lights. they would tell you the pay was decent but wouldn't make you rich. they could have told you about and ress and long shifts they'd probably agree with chief brown that cops don't expect to hear the word "thank you" very often especially from those who eed them the most. the reward comes in knowing that our entire way of life in america depends on the rule of law.

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that the maintenance of that law is a hard and daily labor. that in this country, we don't have soldiers in the streets or militias setting the rules. instead we have public servants, police officers, like the men who were taken away from us. and that's what these five were doing last thursday when they were assigned to protect and keep orderly a peaceful protest in response of the killing of alton sterling and philando castille of minnesota. they were upholding the constitution nal rights of this country.

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-- constitutional rights of this country. despite the fact that police conduct was the subject of the protest, despite the fact that there must have been signs or slogans or chants by which they profoundly disagreed. these men and this department did their jobs like the rofessionals that they were. in fact, the police have been part of the protest planning. dallas p.d. even posted photos on their twitter feed of their officers standing among the protestors. two officers black and white smiled next to a man with a sign that read "no justice, no peace." and then around 9:00 the gunfire came.

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another community torn apart. more hearts broken. more questions about what causes and what might prevent another uch tragedy. i know that americans are struggling right now with what we have witnessed over the past week. first the shootings in minnesota and baton rouge, the protests. hen the targeting of police by he shooter here. the act of not just demented violence but of racial hatred. is anger that is left and hurt.

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it's as if the deepest fault lines of our democracy have suddenly been exposed perhaps even widened and although we know that such divisions are not knew, though they've surely been worse in even the recent past that offers us little comfort. based with this violence, we wonder if the di vise of race in america can ever be breached. we wonder if an african-american community that feels unfairly targeted by police and police departments that feel unfairly maligned by doing their jobs can ever understand each other's experience. we turn on the tv or surf the lines t and we can watch

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drawn. we see all this and it's hard not to think sometimes that the center won't hold and that things might get worse. i understand. i understand how americans are feeling. but dallas, i'm here to say, we must reject such despair. i'm here to insist that we are not as divided as we seem. and i know that because i know america. i know how far we've come against impossible odds. [applause] i know because of what i've

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experienced in my own life what i've seen of this country and its people, their goodness and decency as president of the united states. and i know it because of what we've seen here in dallas, how all of you out of great suffering have shown us the meaning of perseverance and character. nd hope. when the bullets started flying the men and women of the dallas police, they did not flinch, and they did not react recklessly. they showed incredible restraint . help by protestors they evacuated the entrance, isolated the shooter. saved more lives than we will ever know.

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[applause] we mourn fewer people today because of your brave actions. [applause] everyone was helping each other one witness said. it wasn't about black or white. everyone was picking each other up and moving them away. . e, that's the america i know ms. taylor as ed she was shot trying to shield her four sons. she said he wanted her sons to join the protests of black men

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being killed. she also said to the dallas p.d., thank you for being heroes. and today her 12-year-old son wants to be a cop when he grows up. that's the america i know. [applause] in the aftermath of the shooting, we seen mayor rawlings and chief brown, a white man and a black man with different backgrounds working not just to

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restore order and support a shaken city, a shaken department but working together to unify a city with strength and grace and isdom. and in the process we've been reminded that the dallas police department has been in the forefront of improving relations between police and the community. the murder rate here has fallen, come plaints of excessive force ave been cut by 64%. the dallas police department has been doing it the right way. chica is out -- thank you for your powerful example. we could not be prouder of you. [applause]

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>> this is the america i know. and today in this audience, i've seen people who have protested on behalf of criminal justice reform. i've seen people who mourn for the five officers we lost but also weep for the families of lton sterling and philando castile. in this audience, i see what's possible. i see what's possible when we recognize that we are one american family all deserving of equal treatment. ll deserving of equal respect.

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all children of god. that's the america i know. now, i'm not naive. i have spoken at too many memorials during the course of this presidency. i've hugged too many families who have lost a loved one to senseless violence. and i've seen how a spirit of nity born of tragedy can gradually dissipate, over taken by the return to business as sual by inertia and old habits and expediency. i see how easily we slip back to our old notions because

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they're comfortable. we're used to them. i've seen how inadequate words can be in bringing about lasting change. i've seen how -- how inadequate my own words have been. and so i'm reminded of the . ssage in john's gospel let us love not with words or speech but with actions and in .ruth if we're to sustain the unity we need to get through these to icult times, if we are honor these five outstanding ficers who we lost then we will need to act on the truths

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that's not easy. it makes us uncomfortable. but were going to have to be honest with each other and ourselves. we know that the overwhelming majority of police officers to an incredibly hard and dangerous professionally. they are deserving of our respect and not are scored. -- not our scorn. when anyone no matter how good their intentions may be, paints all police is biased or bigoted we undermine those officers we depend on for our safety.

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and as for those use rhetoric suggesting harm to police, if you think back on themselves. they not only make the jobs of police officers even more dangerous, but they do a disservice to the very cause of justice that they claim to promote. we also know that centuries of racial discrimination -- of slavery, and subjugation, and jim crow -- they didn't simply vanish with the end of lawful segregation. they didn't just stop when dr. king made a speech, or the voting rights act and the civil rights act were signed. race relations have improved dramatically in my lifetime. those who deny it are

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dishonoring the struggles that helped us achieve that progress. (applause.) but we know -- but, america, we know that bias remains. we know it. whether you are black or white or hispanic or asian or native american or of middle eastern descent, we have all seen this bigotry in our own lives at some point. we've heard it at times in our own homes. if we're honest, perhaps we've heard prejudice in our own heads and felt it in our own hearts. we know that. and

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while some suffer far more under racism's burden, some feel to a far greater extent discrimination's sting. although most of us do our best to guard against it and teach our children better, none of us is entirely innocent. no institution is entirely immune. and that includes our police departments. we know this. and so when african americans from all walks of life, from different communities across the country, voice a growing despair over what they perceive to be unequal treatment; when study after study shows that whites and people of color experience the criminal justice system differently, so that if you're black you're more likely to be pulled over or searched or

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arrested, more likely to get longer sentences, more likely to get the death penalty for the same crime; when mothers and fathers raise their kids right and have "the talk" about how to respond if stopped by a police officer -- "yes, sir," "no, si"" -- but still fear that something terrible may happen when their child walks out the door, still fear that kids being stupid and not quite doing things right might end in tragedy -- when all this takes place more than 50 years after the passage of the civil rights act, we cannot simply turn away and dismiss those in peaceful protest as

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troublemakers or paranoid. (applause.) we can't simply dismiss it as a symptom of political correctness or reverse racism. to have your experience denied like that, dismissed by those in authority, dismissed perhaps even by your white friends and coworkers and fellow church members again and again and again -- it hurts. surely we can see that, all of us. we also know what chief brown has said is true: that so much of the tensions between police departments and minority communities that they serve is because we ask the police to do too much and we ask too little of ourselves. (applause.) as a

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society, we choose to underinvest in decent schools. we allow poverty to fester so that entire neighborhoods offer no prospect for gainful employment. (applause.) we refuse to fund drug treatment and mental health programs. (applause.) we flood communities with so many guns that it is easier for a teenager to buy a glock than get his hands on a computer or even a book -- (applause) -- and then

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we tell the police "you're a social worker, you're the parent, you're the teacher, you're the drug counselor." we tell them to keep those neighborhoods in check at all costs, and do so without causing any political blowback or inconvenience. don't make a mistake that might disturb our own peace of mind. and then we feign surprise when, periodically, the tensions boil over. we know these things to be true. they've been true for a long time. we know it. police, you know it. protestors, you know it. you know how dangerous some

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of the communities where these police officers serve are, and you pretend as if there's no context. these things we know in the end, it's not about finding policies that work; it's about forging consensus, and fighting cynicism, and finding the will to make change.

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can we do this? can we find the character, as americans, to open our hearts to each other? can we see in each other a common humanity and a shared dignity, and recognize how our different experiences have shaped us? and it doesn't make anybody perfectly good or perfectly bad, it just makes us human. i don't know. i confess that sometimes i, too, experience doubt. i've been to too many of these things. i've seen too many families go through this. but

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then i am reminded of what the lord tells ezekiel: i will give you a new heart, the lord says, and put a new spirit in you. i will remove from you your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh. that's what we must pray for, each of us: a new heart. not a heart of stone, but a heart open to the fears and hopes and challenges of our fellow citizens. that's what we've seen in dallas these past few days. that's what we must sustain.

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because with an open heart, we can learn to stand in each other's shoes and look at the world through each other's eyes, so that maybe the police officer sees his own son in that teenager with a hoodie who's kind of goofing off but not dangerous -- (applause) -- and the teenager -- maybe the teenager will see in the police officer the same words and values and authority of his parents. (applause.) with an open heart, we can abandon the overheated rhetoric and the oversimplification that reduces whole categories of our fellow americans not just to opponents, but to enemies. with an open heart, those protesting for change will guard against reckless language going forward, look at the model set by the five officers we mourn today, acknowledge the progress brought about by the sincere efforts of police departments

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like this one in dallas, and embark on the hard but necessary work of negotiation, the pursuit of reconciliation. with an open heart, police departments will acknowledge that, just like the rest of us, they are not perfect; that insisting we do better to root out racial bias is not an attack on cops, but an effort to live up to our highest ideals. (applause.) and i understand these protests -- i see them, they can be messy. sometimes they can be hijacked by an irresponsible few. police can get hurt. protestors can get hurt. they can be frustrating.

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but even those who dislike the phrase "black lives matter," surely we should be able to hear the pain of alton sterling's family. (applause.) we should -- when we hear a friend describe him by saying that "whatever he cooked, he cooked enough for everybody," that should sound familiar to us, that maybe he wasn't so different than us, so that we can, yes, insist that his life matters. just as we should hear the students and coworkers describe their affection for philando castile as a gentle soul -- "mr. rogers with dreadlocks," they called him -- and know that his life mattered to a whole lot of people of all races, of all ages, and that we have to do what we can, without putting officers' lives at risk, but do better to prevent another life like his from being lost.

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with an open heart, we can worry less about which side has been wronged, and worry more about joining sides to do right. (applause.) because the vicious killer of these police officers, they won't be the last person who tries to make us turn on one other. the killer in orlando wasn't, nor was the killer in charleston. we know there is evil in this world. that's why we need police departments.

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(applause.) but as americans, we can decide that people like this killer will ultimately fail. they will not drive us apart. we can decide to come together and make our country reflect the good inside us, the hopes and simple dreams we share. "we also glory in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope." for all of us, life presents challenges and suffering -- accidents, illnesses, the loss of loved ones. there are times when we are overwhelmed by sudden calamity, natural or manmade. all of us, we make

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mistakes. and at times we are lost. and as we get older, we learn we don't always have control of things -- not even a president does. but we do have control over how we respond to the world. we do have control over how we treat one another. america does not ask us to be perfect. precisely because of our individual imperfections, our founders gave us institutions to guard against tyranny and ensure no one is above the law; a democracy that gives us the space to work through our differences and

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debate them peacefully, to make things better, even if it doesn't always happen as fast as we'd like. america gives us the capacity to change. but as the men we mourn today -- these five heroes -- knew better than most, we cannot take the blessings of this nation for granted. only by working together can we preserve those institutions of family and community, rights and responsibilities, law and self-government that is the hallmark of this nation. for, it turns out, we do not persevere alone. our character is not found in isolation. hope does not arise by putting our fellow man down; it is found by

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lifting others up. (applause.) and that's what i take away from the lives of these outstanding men. the pain we feel may not soon pass, but my faith tells me that they did not die in vain. i believe our sorrow can make us a better country. i believe our righteous anger can be transformed into more justice and more peace. weeping may endure for a night, but i'm convinced joy comes in the morning. (applause.) we cannot match the sacrifices made by officers zamarripa and ahrens, krol, smith, and thompson, but

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surely we can try to match their sense of service. we cannot match their courage, but we can strive to match their devotion. may god bless their memory. may god bless this country that we love. (applause.) [applause] [applause]

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south carolina senator tim scott gave three speeches. you can see them all at c-span.org. senator scott described his own interactions with police. senator scott: i rise to give my second speech about the issues we are facing as a nation following last week's tragedies in dallas and baton rouge. this is perhaps the most difficult because it is the most personal. about how thelked vast majority of our law enforcement officers have only two things in mind, protect and serve. as a noted then, we do have serious issues that must be resolved. in many season towns across the nation there is a deep divide

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between the black community and law enforcement. a trust gap. it is a tension that has been growing for decades. family, weican cannot ignore these issues. while so many officers do good and we should be thankful and supportive of those officers, some simply do not. i have experienced it myself. today i want to speak about some of those issues. now with anger, though i have been angry, and i tell my story not out of frustration though at times i have been frustrated. i came before you today because i am for all of us the entire american family to work together

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so we all experience the lyrics ,f the song that we can hear peace love and understanding. i shuddered when i heard eric garner say i can't breathe. i wept when i watched walter scott turn and run away and be shot and killed from the back. i broke when i heard the full-year-old daughter fish tell her-old daughter mother it's ok, i am right here with you. these are people lost forever. fathers, brothers, sons. say that they had

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criminal records. note having a record should i will shareth, with you some of my own experiences with the experiences of good friends and other professionals. i can remember the very first time i was pulled over by a police officer. i was just a youngster. car that had an improper headlight. the cop came up to my car with his hand on his gun and said boy, don't you know your headlight is not working properly? ashamed -- i felt ashamed and scared.

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of sharing experience after experience i want to go to a time in my life was elected official and share a couple of stories as an elected official. that in theber course of one year i've been stopped seven times. five,. six times, but seven times. was i speeding? sure. but the vast majority of the time i was pulled over for nothing more than driving a new car in the wrong neighborhood or some other reason just as trivial. when i was leaving the mall, i took a left and as soon as i did a poor officer pulled up right behind me.

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took another left into a neighborhood. he followed behind me. i took a third left onto the street that led to my apartment complex. then the blue lights went on. the officer approached the car and said i did not use my turn signal on the fourth turn. keep in mind, i was paying very close attention to the law enforcement officer who was following me on four turns. somehow i think that forgot he is my turn signal on the fourth turn? according to him, i did.

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we were heading back to greg a bite to eat around 4:00 in the afternoon. road andving on the the blue lights come on. the officer pulls me into the median and he starts telling me he thinks the car might be stolen. myself is theng license plate coming in a stolen? does the license plate match the car? i was looking for some rational reason for him to stop me. i also think about the experiences of my brother. a command sergeant major in the united states army. the highest ranked for an enlisted soldier. he was driving from texas to charleston. if he'd stolen the

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car he was driving because it was a volvo. i do not know many african-american men who do not have similar stories. no matter their profession or their income. recall one of my former staffers, a great guy. he drove a chrysler 300, a nice car. but not for irony. he was pulled over so many times here in the district of columbia for absolutely no reason other than driving a nice car. he sold the car.

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he bought a more secure form of transportation. .e was tired of being targeted imagine the frustration, the the sense of a loss of dignity that accompanies each of these incidents. even on capitol hill, where i have the great privilege of serving the people of south carolina. know, thereo don't are a few ways to identify member of congress of the senate. when you've been here for a couple of years the law enforcement officers get to know your face and they identify you by face. and youdoesn't happen

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have a badge the picture of them or the pin. it is easy to identify a u.s. senator by our pins. i recall walking into an office building just last year after being here for five years in the capital. andofficer looked at me .aid, the pain i know you i don't. show me your id. myself, eitherto he thinks and committing a crime by being a member of congress or what? evening, i received a

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phone call from his supervisor apologizing for that behavior. mr. president, that is at least the third phone call i have received from a supervisor or the chief of police. while i think god i have not endured bodily harm, i have however felt the pressure applied by the scales of justice. anger, frt the sadness, humiliation that comes with feeling like you are being targeted are not being than just yourself. there is a